Doggy Style

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Anna Collins

The Ballet Teacher with her Cavalier King Charles, Freddy

By The Get Leashed Doggy Style Team

Dropping in on Anna’s world of feminine, creative energy, it was a challenge to stop shooting, even when braving Canadian winter temperatures to capture her at her favorite beach (so worth it). Fresh-faced and welcoming even after a long day of dance and classes, Anna gave us a glimpse into her busy life, as we were greeted by her best friend, a tiny Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Freddy. A fiercely supportive sister, she proudly discussed the work of her photographer / artist sister, Petra, who Anna often models for (see her dreamy photos, dressed in Gucci here). Talent and drive definitely run in the family. Get to know cool girl Anna below.

Please tell us about yourself, your profession, and what a typical day is like:

My name is Anna Collins, I’m currently a student at Canada’s National Ballet School Teacher Training Program, graduating this year. I go to school about 5 or 6 days a week and am also a ballet teacher at a separate studio on Sundays. My typical work day/week consists of me going to school for 8:30am and usually staying at school until 8 or 9pm. I’ll have several dance classes and pedagogy courses throughout my anxiety filled day (lol) and then sometimes stay late to finish any work that has an upcoming deadline. On Sundays I teach 4 ballet classes, starting at 9am. I teach little ones aged 3-8, starting my day with creative movement for the teeny dancers and finishing the day with a proper ballet class. I will come home in the afternoon to Freddy and try to spend the entire day with him. All of my spare time goes to Freddy.

Please tell us a bit about your pup. How did he come into your life? Is there a story behind his name?

Freddy came into my life in an interesting way. I had a dog previously named Prince who was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel about 3 summers ago, who sadly passed away from heart failure. Around the same time, a man in my building named Wayne also sadly passed away. Wayne initially had Freddy as a puppy and I would see Freddy around my building thinking he was the cutest thing I’d every seen because he was the same breed as Prince. After Prince passed away, my home felt empty and so did my heart and all I wanted was some puppy love. Somehow I was able to babysit Freddy a few times a week while he was being passed around in my apartment building. When I first got Freddy he was very skinny and a bit frazzled because of his inconsistent lifestyle after his owner’s passing. Fortunately, I bonded with Freddy so much it became harder and harder for me to pass him back to his caretaker at the time and I ended up keeping Freddy for myself. It was the best decision and best thing that had ever happened to me.

How would you describe the style of your home?

My home is just me in a nutshell. I get very sentimental and attached to objects and things so everything I own and have in my home is something that I deeply love and connect with. It’s not the most minimalist home, I would say (some may say I have hoarder tendencies).

What does your ideal weekend look like?

My ideal weekend would have perfect park weather, probably spring to summer (18-20 degrees). I would have work off and no homework, and I would go to either the Trinity Bellwoods dog park or Cherry Beach with Freddy and my boyfriend. We would take hour long walks and play with Freddy until the sun goes down, then we would come home and cook some dinner and get an early night of sleep. Right now I’m really lacking any spare time/sleep, so seriously that is my ideal dream weekend. Is that boring?

What inspires you?

My sister and family inspire me. We’ve gone through some rough times and seeing how hard my sister works for what she wants, and seeing my dad healthy and active again is all I could ask for. Whenever I’m down, I know I can go to them and they inspire me to just be a kind person and do my best in everything.

Finally, can you leave us with a funny story about Freddy?

There are so many little moments that make Freddy hilarious. I don’t have one big funny story but just Freddy as a little creature is funny. He requires 24/7 attention and is so wonderfully obsessed with me it just makes him the best. If I am on my phone for too long, he will knock the phone out of my hand with his paw and push himself onto me to sit on my lap to make sure that I am paying attention to him. He also will only eat his food when me or my family are watching him and telling him that he is a good boy. If I am eating in my kitchen or cooking, he will find his way onto the dining room table and stand there and not bark but “talk” to me to let me know that I am not giving him attention. He sleeps with me every second of the night but if I turn my back to him while I am sleeping, he will paw my back to make sure I turn over and hold him again. I think all those little moments are what make Freddy so wonderfully special and I couldn’t have asked for a better companion. I don’t like calling Freddy a dog because I feel like he’s just a family member/my child. As you can tell, I am equally obsessed with him as he is with me.